Mannequins
by Rossignol-X
Summary: A vacation to the Big Easy during Mardi Gras takes a wrong turn when Rogue is captured by the Thieves Guild. The prodigy thief Gambit has been assigned to keep her under watch. Can Rogue escape from Gambit, or with him?
1. Watched

I'm finally writing my own Romy! Why, you might ask (doubt it, though)? The answer's easy: Neurotic Temptress. Her works, especially "Hazard", inspired me. Colorful, emotional, tantalizing, intuitive, and inventive are just a few words to describe her works. I suggest you read them, because you'll be hard pressed to find a Remy and Rogue fan fiction of this caliber. So formally:

_Dedicated to Neurotic Temptress, a great conversationalist, a great inspirator, and a great author all in herself. Now that's hard to come by._

But before I start _this is important_, mind you, there are some key factors I'd like to point out. The parts that must be read to understand the fan fiction are bold, and what is not are of no major consequence if you do not read these. So here:

**This is set around the time Professor Xavier had those flash-forwards at the end of the series**. You know, the ones where the X-Men were in different uniforms.

**Rogue has never met Gambit before **and neither has anyone else, even Storm and Magneto. Therefore, anything that he does in the series is given to another character. "Cajun Spice" is non-existent.

**Gambit is still in the Thieves Guild.** Thus he is still associated with Jean-Luc, Julien and the Rippers (who are the equivalents to the Assassins Guild of the comics). Henri and Marius exist, along with the variety of Remy's cousin's, although Belladonna does not.

**Take in mind the new look of the X-Men.** The only thing different is that Rogue is wearing gloves and has a black leather trench coat, rather than the brown duster.

So, without further ado, I'd like to present my first Romy!

* * *

**Mannequins  
****Part One: Capture**  
**Chapter One: Watched**

_When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere._

_- Francois De La Rochefoucauld_

New Orleans was bustling with people from all over the country, filled with laughter and voices and smells. Cheery colors covered houses and shops alike while the sidewalks were teeming with adults and children, both shoving and standing tall for a good view of the festive parade of Mardi Gras.

The shops were especially noisy, with lively conversations and shouts from the waiters and chefs in English and French. People ordered more than their fill of their favorite foods, trying to savor the taste before the fasting of Lent arrived. The only cafés that seemed generally unaffected by the cheery holiday were in the unknown alleys, quiet, but quaint.

In one of the smallest shops down a nearly invisible alley, only two tables were occupied. One was by a young couple, both apparently in their early-twenties. The other table, which was seated in the farthest corner, had two even younger girls. The tallest was pale to the point of translucence, with strange hair; auburn coupled with unique white bangs. The other was wearing an ensemble of only purple and turquoise, sticking out from the dirt-brown walls of the cafe. She was rubbing a lock of her short brown hair between two fingers and talking animatedly.

"We, should, like, go see the parade Rogue! C'mon, it'll be fun!" The girl began to pull at her hair. "It's not as if we get a vacation everyday! This might be our _last _chance!" The girl released her hair and picked up Rogue's gloved hand. "And you know you don't have an excuse anyway!" The other remained adamant and secure, just staring out the window where they were sitting near. "Rogue! C'mon! For me?" Rogue turned her face to the small brunette. Taking this as a sign of some relenting, the girl pulled harder. "We, like, _have to_."

Rogue finally opened her mouth to speak, "No, _we _don't, Kitty. You yahself can. Ah'm stayin' right here. Or Ah can go back to the hotel."

Kitty suddenly released her hand and stood to stomp her foot. The couple -- which seemed absorbed in themselves -- turned to the commotion. "What excuse do you have? None! So we should go!"

"Who's stopping yah! Ah sure as hell ain't!"

"This is completely unfair! I planned this vacation for _weeks_, Rogue! The prof said I could take only _one _person Rogue! He said he trusted me enough to handle it on my own! And I chose _you_, Rogue! I could have chosen, like, Lance or Kurt or Piotr! But I didn't! So come on!"

With a heavy sigh and a glare directed at the irritated younger girl, Rogue seemed to finally give in and stood, collecting her black leather trench coat and slipping into it. "Fahne. Ah'll go. But not 'cause Ah want ta, Kit. 'Cause yah decided that Ah needed a guilt trip. But we're doin' what _Ah _wanna do aftah this."

Kitty's mood seemed to vanish from annoyed and angry to perky and sprightly in an instant, squealing, "Yeah, sure! Let's go!" The smaller girl grabbed her purse and nearly bolted to the door before turning back to Rogue, who was still at the table. "What are you waiting for? We, like, gotta go!"

"Ah'm just payin' the people! Leave if yo' in such a hurry!"

Kitty waited though, all the while tapping her foot impatiently while Rogue put the money on the table, along with a tip. "Okay, you done? Good! Let's, like, go!"

* * *

Bourbon Street -- Kitty insisted -- was the place to be if you wanted to experience the true Mardi Gras. Beads flashed everywhere in the air, being caught usually by some girl flashing her chest to the entire half-drunk crowd. Over to Rogue's right, some fully drunk men and women where dancing a around a golden calf, and hailing it as their god.

The parade floats were decked with mostly purple, green, and gold and Mardi Gras beads were hanging off of nearly every hook and area there was to hang it off. Costumes with feathery hats were everywhere and the entire street was cheering deafeningly.

Rogue spotted a table near her and sat down, unwilling to mingle among the fanatical crowd. Kitty didn't seem to mind, but hovered towards the back, seemingly trying to keep an eye on Rogue and enjoy the festivities at the same time. Rogue watched the floats pass by indifferently, her own thoughts drowning out the steadily growing noise of the throng.

Why had she agreed to come along? If she hadn't, not only would Rogue have a room to herself for two weeks, but also Kitty wouldn't constantly badger her for various opinions of her clothes and hair. It really wasn't a problem before, but now that she had gotten her hair cut enough to be able to see the nape of her neck, she was unsure of "how well does this go with this dress, Rogue? Does it match with my, like, hair?" So what _had _driven her insane enough to come here?

Which was obvious, the second Rogue gave thought to it.

The psyches. Lately they had been getting worse, trying to influence her, talking to her in roaring voices, attempting to be heard over each other. And at the worst times they conversed with her, and sometimes she forgot herself and spoke aloud to them, like once in Phys. Ed., she not only seemed like a lunatic, but they just became more demanding, more deafening.

She remembered the occasion very clearly, as if it had only happened yesterday, rather than two months ago.

"_Rogue? Rogue? _Hallo,_ are you in there?" Kurt Wagner, Rogue's foster brother, tapped her head lightly with his knuckles._

_Rogue had been staring into space for the good part of the period, not paying attention to her surroundings. She seemed focused though, and every once and awhile her face would twist into a grimace of some unreadable emotion. Even Kurt's gentle probing and the sound of her team mates howling at her to get up to bat had been useless to wake her up from whatever trance she was in._

"_Rogue? Rogue? _ROGUE!"_ Kurt shouted into her ear. Surprised, she jerked and her head bounced against the wall._

_Holding her bruised head with gloved hands, Rogue glared at her brother. "What?"_

"_It's your turn, _schwester." _He replied, and held his hand out for her to take. She ignored it and stood herself, walking to bat. "Make me proud!" He called after her jokingly._

"_Yeah." Holding the bat firmly, she willed the psyches to be quiet. And as they quieted, so did the team. Rogue remembered her surroundings. Ah, yes. Bases loaded. Down to the last inning. Final game of the season. No wonder the team had grown tense._

_The pitcher grinned flirtatiously at her unaware Rogue was a mutant. He brought back the ball and hurled it with accuracy. Rogue swung._

"_Strike one!" The umpire called out. Rogue's team groaned. The pale girl rolled her eyes. What difference did it make to her?_

_The pitched hurled the ball again. Rogue swung, followed closely with the crack of the bat. Everything exploded into noise._

"_RUN!"_

"_GET THE BALL!"_

"_GO! GO! GO! GO!"_

"_THROW IT!"_

"_STUPID GIRL!"_

"_LET US OUT!"_

"_WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?"_

"_SHUT UP! STOP IT! STOP YELLING!"_

_It didn't take long for Rogue to realize it was her screaming aloud._

As Rogue shifted from her thoughts, and back to the parade, she suddenly realized Kitty was missing. Standing up to find her key to the hotel (and friend) and shaking her head from the humiliating memories, Rogue pushed through the seemingly endless crowd calling out in many languages.

Catching a flash of turquoise in the corner of her eye, Rogue turned only to find Kitty's head rapidly disappearing through the swarm. Attempting to get to Shadowcat before she completely vanished, Rogue shoved her way through the crowd and to her general direction.

"Hey!" Rogue heard someone shout at her while she passed. "What's y' prob'em, _chienne_?" Rogue turned back to the voice impatiently, with a glower she hoped to be even fiercer than her offenders.

"What's _yo's_?" She snapped back and turned away, intent on finding her roommate. But before she could lift her foot up, a thin hand grasped her shoulder firmly, halting her.

"I b'lieve, y' are, _fille_."

Rogue stopped and took several deep breaths before muttering angrily, "If yah know what's good fo' yah, yah'll let go and go on yo' merry way."

"I'm takin' t'reats from y', now, am I? Say y' s'rry first, an' I'll let y' go," the man said impudently.

"Me? I ain't sayin' sorry to some swamp rat like yahself! Now let go!" Rogue turned to him and knocked his hand away. She was greeted with a quick slap to her face, which caught her by surprise. She turned back to the man with "Yah asked fo' it!" and went for his hand that she had just brushed away, lifting him into the air with surprising force and bringing him down on the other side.

He wasted no time though, and fell to his feet, pulling her with the same arm that she held him with and taking the other. Her attacker held both of her arms behind her back, and she faced away from him. Rogue cried out as he twisted them.

"Say y'r s'rry an' y' can live, _fille_." He shouted to her. The crowd had split where they were and the drunken men and women began to chant_ "Fight! Fight! Fight!"_ all the while whooping and roaring with laughter. Even the police trying to barge their way in couldn't break the rolling mass of onlookers. "Well?" The man said expectantly.

"Yeah." Rogue ground out, "Sorry Ah evah had ta touch a sorry swamp rat such as yo'self," and swung her leg over to meet his side. He fell, dragging her down with him.

"I'll kill y' f'r tha', y' _putain_!" He wheezed.

"Sure yah will." she replied, tugging herself from his weakened grasp. She stood, eyeing his hand that was moving subtly to reach into his red blazer. "Now what _are _yah doin', sugah? Ah hope that's not a weapon yo're goin' for." She stepped on his stomach, effectively pinning his arm down and forcing the wind out of him at the same time. She considered absorbing him, but decided against it, unwilling to add another psyche to the growing number.

Rogue didn't want to deal with the man again, either, so she said with a smirk, "Sorry, swamp rat, but Ah think it's tahme yah have a nice rest, huh?" and silently thanked Logan for his hard trainings in the Danger Room, plus his personal trainings with her in martial arts. She squatted, hitting the side of her hand against his neck. The man's eyes rolled back, and Rogue stayed still for a few moments, to make sure he wouldn't "wake up" the second she stood.

The man, no longer a threat, wasn't too bad looking, although he had a certain greasiness about him that automatically made Rogue want to crinkle her nose. His brown hair was long enough to fall to his shoulders, and he had several earrings following down his left ear, and a small ring on his eyebrow. He appeared scraggly, with a damaged red blazer and dirty black pants.

Wanting nothing more to do with him, Rogue disappeared to resume her search for Kitty in the crowd that had turned back to the parade, having lost all interest in her and her fight.

One man amongst the crowd had not though, and continued to follow the retreating girl with interest. Never taking his eyes from her, he took a cell phone out of his dark blue jacket.

Dialing the number, he responded to the voice on the other line. "_Père_?" he asked, "I t'ink I've foun' someone y' would like t' meet."

* * *

What's this? Now who would seem so interested in Rogue? It's probably not who you think, though. Well, it might be. You'll just have to wait, huh?

I also understand not everyone can speak French or German. I personally have been taking the class for a while, therefore everything that you read is something that I personally know. So spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes are a given. But I will translate for you:

**French Translations:**

_chienne_: bitch; it means actually female dog, but so does "bitch" in English.

_fille_: girl

_putain_: whore

_père_: father

**German Translations:**

_schwester:_ sister

_Hallo: _Hello

There. That's what they all mean.

Please review, it means a lot! I can only improve on this story through your critique!

Please take the time! Thanks!

E.V.A.N. B.


	2. Sparked

Wow. I really didn't expect more than two or three reviews. You guys did WAY more than that. x8, in fact.

By the way, I changed the title because the other one "Nothing More" was tentative, and I wasn't too pleased with it. This suits the story much better. "Mannequin" officially means, "a life-sized dummy used to display clothes", but in this case it means "puppet".

**bored247: **Cool and amazing? Really? 'Cause it's not really all that special. If it was 3-D on the other hand...

**Demon Flame: **You love it? Thanks!

**That crazy Edward Elric fan: **No, I have NO idea who you are, Ar-chan. If buttons are meant to be given cheese, are cheese meant to be given buttons? I'm gonna go ponder...

**Cat2fat900: **Don't like Julien? S'okay, I'm sure most people don't anyway. And yes, no Belladonna. If you ask I'll explain why, but until then, thanks for reviewing!

**zahraa: **No, it wasn't Remy. You were supposed to get the idea that it was Julien. I don't think even Rogue would forgive him for such uncouth attitude when they first meet.

**enchantedlight: **Great start? Nah, I'd think a good start, maybe, but it just didn't ring to me. Well, I don't think I'd like it even if I was Tolkien. Who is great and everyone should worship him.

**Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: **I'm updating, I'm updating. See? Didja really think it was "very awesome"? Ooooo, thanks!

**sky: **Well, look forward no more, 'cause here it is! Thanks for reviewing!

**Kerrilea: **Already? Thanks, and I do hurry...it's just when you hurry _too _much.

**RogueFan23: **Thank you. If you see potential, then I'm willing too.

**ishandahalf: **Just the kind of review I like. It gives a good idea of what you like as a reader. The only thing pissing is the low-points of the chapter. Ummm...bunny on crack? Why not a duckling on the 'roids then?

**stormcloud-23: **It adds to the effect when you wait. How would you feel if I gave you some mystery to tell you the butler did it in the same sentence? Not well, I'd imagine.

**gamro: **Of course it'll be Romy! I couldn't see it being any other way! And assuming you're the same person as the signed gamro, it's getting good? There's only one chapter!

**Neurotic Temptress: **You know exactly what I had to say about your review! Thanks, and please do it again! And BTW, are the plot bunnies _still _giving you trouble.

**Rogue14: **Uhhh...is this ASAP?

**Rogue238: **Yes. Good grammar. You can check this one out to see if it stays the same, too :D

* * *

**Mannequins**

**Part One: Capture**

**Chapter Two: _Sparked_**

_Reveal not every secret you have to a friend, for how can you tell but that friend may hereafter become an enemy. _

_- Saadi_

Professor Xavier wasted no money giving luxury to his students, although it seemed to be something of rather reluctance. Kitty had goaded, pleaded, and wheedled her way into staying at the best hotel she could find in the French Quarter: the Ritz-Carlton.

After falling exhausted to her new bed from the long walk between Bourbon Street and Canal Street -- Kitty had refused to take a cab, claiming she wanted to see more of the Big Easy -- Rogue took time to consider her surroundings.

Rogue's room was lazily lit, and the soft colors of her walls and beds appeared quiet. A burning fireplace just added to the calmness of the room, and Rogue soon found herself closing her eyes, shoes and all.

"Rogue? Rogue? Rogue, wake up! It's 9:38!" Rogue jolted awake as something hit her head. She looked blurrily up to see Kitty Pryde standing above her with a hairbrush. "Jeez, Rogue, you're a mess! Why'd you sleep in your clothes?"

"Because, Kit, Ah'm tired. An' tired people lahke to sleep. Now leave meh alone," Rogue answered groggily, shifting to face away from the intruder.

"Rogue!" Kitty shouted again, and hit her harder with the brush. "Get _up!" _

Turning only her head to look at Kitty, Rogue gave her the best glare she could in her half-sleeping state and responded, "Remember the agreemen' we had in the rest'ran'? The one where wedo what _Ah _wan'? Well, guess what, Kit-Kat? Ah wanna go ta sleep!"

Kitty just heavily sighed as if there couldn't possibly be something more difficult in the world. "Rogue. If you don't get up, I'm going to stick you in a wall!"

Rogue weighed the options in her head carefully, and decided that going to a club couldn't possibly be as bad as living the rest of her life as some new decor for a hotel suite.

Calling on her reserves of energy, Rogue heaved herself from the bed and swung her legs over to meet the carpeted floor. Kitty didn't squeal or clap as Rogue thought she might, just put on an air of smugness that just made it all the more harder leave her temporary bed.

"Great! We gotta get ready, like, right now, before the masses start to arrive, if they're not, like, there already. Ooh, and I get to try out that totally cute new dress Lance got me for my birthday! This will be, like, great!" A suddenly vivacious Kitty ran from Rogue's room to get herself ready, while Rogue fell back to her pillow, hoping Kitty might forget about her and leave on her own escapade.

No such luck. The brunette valley girl came bounding around the corner a few moments later, chattering about her forgotten hairbrush. Rogue sat up quickly, thoughts of being forgotten lost. "Can' I evah get privacy in _mah _room, Kit? Or can yah not get enough of annoyin' me at the Institute?" Rogue snapped irritably.

Kitty seemed in no mood to argue, so she just held up her hands as if Rogue's words might cause physical harm and said in an unapologetic way, "Sorry, Miss Grumpy. Remind me to pick up your throne at the mall. I'm just coming to get my hairbrush," she held it up quickly, saying "See? Hairbrush," and left.

Rogue rummaged through her suitcase to find something that would be suitable for a club, but also emphasized she wasn't interested in anyone or thing.

Dressing herself in a dark green sleeveless dress that stopped just above her fingertips, Rogue picked out black mesh stockings and matching gloves that rode halfway between her shoulder and elbow. Her boots were also high for the protection of herself and those around her, laced in the back and dark leather.

She brushed her hair to complete smoothness and reapplied her dark make-up, deeming herself ready for the club.

Rogue crossed the sections that divided hers and Kitty's rooms and knocked loudly once, before opening the wooden doors. The younger girl was sorting through her small purse. When she looked up at her friend, Kitty smiled and teased, "Now who's just barging in?"

"Jus' thought Ah could repay the favor. Are we leavin' now?"

"Yep! All ready to paint the town red! See?" she joked, "I even have the paint!" Kitty was holding a red nail polish bottle.

"Yeah, tha's great. Can we go?" Rogue said impatiently. Her roommate nodded and threw her purse over her shoulder. They left the suite, the door automatically locking behind them.

As the duo walked down stairs, Rogue suddenly thought of something. "Kit?"

"Yeah?"

"Ah'm bein' serious, now, but...d'ya think Ah'm goin' soft? Ah mean, this is the _second _tahme tha' Ah said "yes" ta yah, and Ah don' even owe somethin'!" Rogue said it in one breath, and glared at Kitty, as if daring her to disagree.

"It's called, like, being friendly. Besides, I'm a totally great persuader, so it's no wonder why you agree." Kitty smiled amusedly as Rogue's glare softened, and she turned away.

"Well if we're so friendly, how come Ah gotta be here?"

"Just that reason."

Rogue opened her mouth to argue, but found no point, or reason why to argue. Although she knew Kitty was her friend, it was nice to her the confirmation from her own lips.

As they clicked into the hotel lobby and headed towards the double-doors, Kitty suddenly gasped and fell short.

"Didja fo'get somethin'?" Rogue asked, arching an eyebrow. It wasn't as if she had to ask. Kitty often forgot things, especially when she needed most to remember it.

"My cell phone!" Kitty looked a little abashed, and turned back in the direction of their suite. "Can you, like, wait her while I get it?"

"No, Ah'm just gonna go ahead. We're goin' to _Sparked, _right?" Without waiting for an answer, Rogue turned away from her roommate and walked away.

"Fine, but you had _better _be there! No skipping out on me!" Kitty called, cupping a hand around her mouth, and earning a "Shhh!" from the man behind the lobby counter.

Rogue kept walking, but answered back in no less of a voice than Shadowcat, "Ah will, Kit, don't get all huffy."

As she reached the door, the bellhops opened it for her and she acknowledged each with a nod.

The road was still bustling with people as Rogue stepped out, most of them in Mardi Gras colors. She could bet these people wouldn't go home until they had been properly hung over or vandalized something, maybe both.

Rogue was in no mood to walk to the club, so she stood at a corner, waiting for the bright yellow of a taxi to pass by. She spotted one turning the bend to her left and brought to fingers to her mouth, piercingly whistling for the taxi to halt.

It halted in front of her, and Rogue stepped in. "Club_ Sparked, _please, sugah."

The driver nodded but made no other motion or affirmation to her existence during the fifteen-minute drive.

* * *

In Rogue's opinion, _Sparked _was a bit flashy. The lights that showed all around the club were bright enough to be seen clearly by day, and by night, it was hard -- if not impossible -- to miss. There were two bouncers at the door, but they didn't seem to care who they let in, as long as the patron wasn't particularly shady.

Rogue watched it for a while, even as the cab rode off behind her, until finally sucking in a deep breath and approaching the line. It was slightly large, but decreasing rapidly, even as it increased behind her, since the speed people were being ushered in was much more than the average and especially exclusive clubs. She moved at a fairly normal pace, and watched the couple ahead of her as the snuggled and talked in quiet voices. Rogue couldn't help but feel a little jealous and lonely at their obvious affection and love for each other, as well as their ability to express it physically.

She shook the thoughts from her head and removed her attention away from the happy pair to her own feet. She came here to relax, not wallow up in her own pity.

'_I thought you did that normally anyway.'_

Rogue looked up sharply, although she knew where the voice was coming from anyway. _'Ah thought Ah locked you away f'r awhile,' _she hissed back into her mind.

'_Hee, hee.' _This voice was different from the last, but Rogue could pinpoint who it was. The insane pyromaniac, aptly codenamed Pyro. _Can't get rid of us, sheila! We'll always come back." _

'_Not if Ah can help it,' _Rogue focused her increasingly strong mental barriers and chained back the few psyches that broke free, and strengthened the other "chains".

"Excuse me, ma'am? The lines moved." Rogue's attention snapped back to reality and she saw that she was several feet behind the two ahead of her. Even now, they were being admitted to _Sparked._

"Sorry." She said unapologetically, and trotted to the doors. The bouncers looked at her wordlessly and split temporarily so she could pass.

The inside was no less gaudy then the exterior, just more crowded. Being careful of her exposed flesh, Rogue pushed through a crowd that was large, but less so than the one that lined the streets of New Orleans earlier that day.

Sitting at the end of the bar, the young mutant rested her head on her hand, waiting for the bartender to come her way.

Rogue didn't have to wait long, and one of the two bartenders came up to her and asked what she wanted. "Some water, f'r now." He raised an eyebrow at her light request, but responded obediently anyway, filling a glass of ice water for her and setting it in front of her.

Rogue just stared at it, bored and indifferent, waiting for her friend to arrive.

* * *

"_Where is it?" _Kitty cried shrilly, throwing her comforter off her bed, adding it to the strewn mess on ground. She stopped as she heard a soft _clunk _hit the floor.

Checking through her quilt, she triumphantly pulled out a small, silver cell phone. She added it to the assortments in her purse and left, not bothering to pick things off the floor.

* * *

Setting down her now-empty glass, Rogue continued to stare at it, and grew increasingly bored. If she hadn't been stupid enough to agree to meet Kitty at the club, she would have left ten minutes ago.

She picked up the glass and began tapping it against the bar, her foot tapping impatiently. Rogue stopped as she felt a presence behind her.

It sat down next to her, and grinned as -- what was now obvious -- he noticed her watching him.

He was handsome, in a way that you would notice him, even hanging off your boyfriends arm. His skin was tanned, but not bronze, and he was muscular, but that was mostly covered by a brown trench coat, similar to Rogue's own. His russet hair was messy and fell down in front of his sunglass-covered eyes. A goatee completed his "bad-boy" look.

"Can Ah help yah?" She asked exasperated. Rogue wasn't in the mood to be hit on. Even if she wasn't ever in the mood.

His grin widened. "I'm jus' sittin' here, _chèrie. _What's de crime in dat?"

"Yah c'n sit anywhere yah damn please, jus' do it somewhere else," Rogue answered irritably. Her boredom was obviously affecting her temper.

"Why, _chèrie? _De view's so nice here!"

"Ah hear its even better ovah ta places that don't include mah personal space."

"I'm not so sure about dat. Been to a lot of places, _chère, _an' I t'ink dis be the best so far."

"Is that so?"

"O' course!" He held his hand over his heart. "Straight from here."

"More likely down _there." _She responded nastily and looked pointedly down south for an instant.

"Aw, _chèrie, _y' can't mean dat!"

"Ah do."

"Den let me change yo're mind. How 'bout a nice trip to th' dance floor wit' me? Be a good time, _chèrie, _promise."

Rogue's patience and promise to Kitty left her, and she stood to leave the club.

"Y' can' jus' leave me here! I'll be lonely!" He play-whined after her retreating figure.

She decided to grace him with one more sentence, "Then go fahnd some othah girl ta be yo're one-night stand!" and left.

* * *

He didn't bother to watch her pass through the doors, but instead turned back to the bar and dialed a number on his expensive-looking cell phone. "_Papa? _I t'ink Henri was right. Definitely someone y' wan' t' meet." He shut the cell's lid before his father on the other end could respond.

A woman sat down next to him, in the place where the girl was before. "Hi there." She smiled coyly as he surveyed her. Blonde, busty, and beautiful.

"Hi," he responded, giving her his own sly grin in return.

"You wanna have some fun tonight?" She asked blatantly.

"I'm a fun kind-of guy, _chèrie. _Y' willin' t' give it?"

"Why else would I ask?"

"Good, den." He held out his arm for her to take, which she did with relish.

"I'm Grace."

Check, Grace. His trophy for the night.

"'Allo, Grace. I be Remy, de one an' only."

* * *

Enter Remy! It was kind of obvious who he was, wasn't it? Not that I was going to lengths to hide it, but still.

If you didn't pick up on the not-so-much-of-a-hint, Henri was the guy who called his father up, and Julien was the guy Rogue beat up. And, another thing, it wasn't coincidence that our Cajun boy and Southern belle met. That's what the phone call was supposed to hint.

**French Translations:**

_chèrie, chère: _dear, darling. They don't mean different things.

Well, review! And while I do love ones that tell me what I'm doing right, I also like reviews that comment on things I could improve. I'm not saying flame me, 'cause then I get nasty, I'm saying I (again) can only improve if I know what you don't like.

Until next time!

_- Kouchou No Kouken_


	3. Manifested

I have the BEST news! Okay, maybe just for my family and me, but still! My sister's pregnant! I'm gonna be an aunt! YAY! I think I gotta do the Aunt Dance"! Check out my profile and/or homepage for details. Not that you care. It's just I care. A lot.

But, sadly, I do have a fan fiction, so I can't just rant about my soon-to-be niece/nephew

So there are reasons why I took so long to update! Let's make a list:

1. I went to my Aunt's house for a week and a half.

2. I was planning out exactly how I wanted the story to come out. Y'know, so I have it down to most of the important details.

3. I'm lazy.

4. This actually wouldn't be here, but something happened to my document to make it go crazy, and it put an extra 1 to 3 spaces between characters. This meant that I had to re-type the entire thing, since that was quicker and easier for me to do.

5. And this shouldn't be here either, but the little fucker/document decided to close itself off before I could save it. So I abbreviated the part that didn't get saved into something like two sentences.

But before start, yes, I am the same Kouchou no Kouken. I just changed the language A.K.A. it means the same thing, but in French. Here's what it should actually look like: Le Rossignol de la Soirée, but accents aren't allowed in pennames at So, Le Rossignol de la Soiree will have to do. But I'm still the same E.V.A.N., cross my heart.

* * *

**Mannequins  
Part One: Captured  
Chapter Three: Manifested **

_One should expect that the expected can be prevented, but the unexpected should have been expected.  
_

_- Norman R. Augustine_

When she had left _Sparked, _infuriated by the man -- apparently named Remy, as the girl cooed no-so-softly into his ear -- she could almost feel the words he'd spoke with such and irritating smirk all but painted on his face dig under her skin like parasites.True to her word, Rogue had not entirely left the club, just lingered outside in the chilly air, waiting for her roommate to grace the young X-Man with her presence. But not five minutes later, Remy was striding out with some girl. The blonde was woefully unaware -- or perhaps woefully _aware _-- that he didn't think of her much more than the best way to pass the night. And had Rogue been stupid enough -- not that anything could've happened -- she would be that nice new notch on the bedpost. But the _Coup de Grâ__ce _had been when he gave her a gaudy wink as he passed.

Few people ever showed a romantic or even sexual interest in Rogue, and those that did always gave up after a few of her cutting glares and acidic remarks. But _this _man persisted to the point where _she _had to get up and leave, and wait outside, where it was too frosty for comfort. It didn't help that Rogue was already irate when he attempted to poorly smooth talk her.

The mutant girl continued her brisk walk down the sidewalk, mumbling apologies to the few she bumped into.

"Rogue?" Kitty's voice halted her. She looked up from the ground, where she was busy burning holes. "I thought I asked for you to wait for me," she cried, sounding more impatient than angry.

But she was in a mood to argue, so Rogue just hissed right back, "An' Ah did, fer an hour! But tha' damn, insuff'rable Cajun..." Rogue trailed off, unwilling to return to the nights events.

And like a snap of the fingers, Kitty's impatience had flipped to curiousty. "Cajun? What Cajun? C'mon, specifics! This is Cajun Country, there's no shortage! Like, what happened?" Her voice sped up and increased in volume as her excitement piqued, apparently haven forgotten Rogue's abandonment of _Sparked. "_Go on!"

Rogue sighed, and pushed past Kitty. "Nothin' happened," she called back behind her

Kitty trotted right back to her. "Yes, something happened! C'mon!" She nudged Rogue with her hip and elbow. "I _know _something happened! I can feel it, deep down in my bones, so there's no use hiding it. Tell me!" She paused and her face scrunched, as if she was thinking about something disturbing. "You don't..._like_ this guy, do you?" She gasped, "Ewww! I bet that's why you left without me! You probably had the whole thing staged, didn't you? What, did you meet him during the parade? Or has it been going on longer?" She gasped again, "I can't believe you never told me!"

Rogue blinked and stared. "What? Kitty, have ya gone crazy? The guy was a complete stranger who was _hittin'_ on me! Am I supposed ta fall head ovah heels in love with a guy Ah just met? Not ta mention he was a complete idiot!"

"Sorry, sorry... But you gotta admit, it was flattering, right?" she smiled primly and dragged Rogue back in the direction of the hotel before she had the chance to respond. So maybe she really had forgotten about _Sparked.

* * *

_

Rogue had been wrong to think that they'd just go back to the hotel. Mournfully wrong. Instead, they began a long, long night of club hopping. They never stayed at one for more then a half-hour, when Kitty declared them all dead-beats -- although they all seemed uncomfortably crowded to Rogue -- and pulled her off into the next club 

When Kitty finally called it a night -- mainly because the clubs were getting emptier and emptier, faster and faster -- she apparently decided that she could get in one more crime-against-her-supposed-friend before they went back to the hotel. So stepping out into the brisk night air, Rogue and Kitty started to walk -- or trudge, in Rogue' s case -- back to the hotel.

Her limbs and muscles weren't listening to her properly, and she lost count all of the times she knocked painfully into some hard metal object she could have easily avoided at a better, less-exhausting time.

"Rogue?" Kitty's voice, unnaturally quiet and subdued, met her ears, and Rogue turned to her roommate. "Are you - " she paused, and seemingly searched for the right words. "You seemed really, I dunno, sad or something tonight. Is something bothering you?" Leave it to Kitty to be able to tell her something was up with her friend.

Sitting alone at a bar while her friends were enjoying themselves was something that was expected of Rogue, regardless of how she was feeling. But she knew of only two people who would be able to detect her moods: There was Kitty, who spent the most time with her out of all the X-Men. And then there was Logan who, besides being so much like her, shared a special sort of bond with her. Sometimes he could pass as a fatherly sort of man to Rogue, but he lacked so many things that fathers had -- namely consistency. Instead, it was more like he was the proverbial older brother: protective, understanding, but outwardly detached.Even Kurt didn't always see how she was feeling, unless she showed it on her face. He may have been more of Rogue's brother than Logan, but Rogue hadn't really shown any side to him than the other X-Men, besides her caring, sisterly features. Both Kitty and Logan only understood how she felt either by sharing a room with her (and maybe secretly reading her diary) or by similarities in their personality.

Nevertheless, even if Kitty knew something was troubling Rogue, she still felt that it was too much to tell her. She had been dealing with psyches for years now. No need to worry Kitty, or come off as weak. "Nothin's wrong, Kit. Ah'm jus' tired, since we spent a good four hours club hoppin'."

Of course, Kitty wasn't convinced. "Listen, Rogue. The Professor asked me not to ask you unless it seemed important, but... is it the psyches? He said that you said they've been bothering you more lately." She stared at Rogue expectantly and quickly apologizing to man knocked into.

Surprised wasn't the right word for that moment. More like unreal. Since when did the Professor tell the other students what she told him during their _private _and _confedential _meetings? The abnormalty she felt of situation quickly turned to anger. But even as Rogue opened her mouth to say, _"How d'ya know?" _Kitty had already picked up on her outrage and said placidly, "He hasn't told anyone else, Rogue. He just told me for a reason.

"You wanna know the truth?" Rogue walked silently, her fury still there, but kept under wraps. "The truth is," she continued "we're only here because of _you. _I really haven't been planning anything. It's just what the Professor told me to say in case you got suspicious. He thought that maybe it might help you control, um, _them _if you had some time away from all the dangers and stress of typical X-Men days."

"Well, it's not. In fact, Ah think it's just been gettin' worse. Ah don't know, maybe it's just somethin' internal, ya know? Yeah, sometimes havin' people like Scooter or Jean breathin' down your neck doesn't help any, but _truthfully," _Rogue couldn't help but keep the bitterness out of her voice "Ah'm not sure if Mardi Gras was the best place ta go fer some peace and quiet." Even if she was still slightly resentful of the Professor for telling Kitty, her anger had pretty much been replaced by fatigue, and not all because of her lack of sleep.

"Yeah, I know, but me and the Professor thought that maybe if you were close to home it might help. I mean, not Mississippi, 'cause that might've brought, you know, mother issues to the surface, but South. Besides, I think Mardi Gras is fun!" Like her roomie, Rogue was able to tell that it still bothered Kitty that she didn't seem to be having fun, or that the psyches still screamed at her on a day-to-day basis. Her friend seemed rather apprehensive beneath her bright exterior.

"Fun fer _you _maybe. Your inta that kinda solicializin'. Ah'm not."

"Tell me about it. I was trying to, like, get you to dance! Or have fun! Or at least talk to the guys who approached you. Yeah, I saw them. And let me tell you, girl, that if some guys that hot went right up to me I wouldn't have wasted the chance!"

"Uh, Kit? What about your, Ah don't know... boyfriend? The name _'Lance' _ringin' any bells?"

"Well, it's not like he can see me, is it?" Kitty said slyly.

Rogue mock-gasped, "Kit! Ya keep actin' lahke that, and Ah'll be ashamed to know ya!" The southerner smiled. It was rare when she and the valley girl had fun conversations like this, which excluded Rogue's biting brand of sarcasm. "An' fer your inf'rmation, Ah _did _talk to some of those guys." Her mind flashed back to the Cajun she had met earlier in the night.

The look on Kitty's face made Rogue wish she had a camera. Her eyes bugged and her pupils dilated, giving her a bit of an insect look. The brunette grabbed Rogue by the arm and stopped her. "Get out! Really! What did you say!"

She tilted in conspiratorially, "Ah tol' them to go screw off." Rogue leaned back with a smirk warping her pale face.

With a disgusted noise, Kitty crossed her arms and glared at her friend. "I hate you! And here I thought you actually did some flirting! Ha! I bet don't you even know what flirting _is!" _She seemed eager to forget about their recent conversation.

"Excuse me? Ah know _exactly _what flirtin' is, Ah thank ya." Rogue remembered with disgust her poor attempts to flirt with Scott when she still had a bad crush on him.

"Of _course _you do," Kitty patted her friend on the shoulder, and began walking again, with Rogue following suit. "You just lack the capabilities of doing so."

The Mississippi girl reached up to scratch beneath her eyes. "And what if Ah do? Ah've seen you and Avalanche flirt. You're awful! Gawd, sometahmes I just gag on all o' the desperation in the air."

Kitty's playfully smack Rogue. "I am _not _desperate! You must be listening to Lance more than me."

They both laughed, agreeing, but Rogue suddenly stopped and itched below her eye fervently. "Mah eyes... they're burnin'."

"Rogue..." Kitty said apprehensively, "Your eyes... they look weird," she stopped, and fear crossed her face "Oh my God! Look down!"

"Wha-?" She stopped as her entire vision flashed into crimson, and in that instant she heard the familiar voice of Cyclops whisper _"Look out!"_

As if hearing the voice, Kitty dove for the cement sidewalk, and those who were near the destructive blast hit the ground and covered their heads, joining in her scream.

Rogue cried out in what sounded like fear and pain. Crushing her eyes together with more force than it would naturally ever take, she brought her hands up to cover them, and fell to one knee.

It wasn't until more than a minute had passed when people began to move again. Some looked up, others asked their friends if they were alright, and the more daring got up slowly, among these was Kitty. She was breathing heavily, as if she had tried to outrun the blast, rather than just falling to the ground.

Without another word Kitty grabbed Rogue's arm and walked as fast as possible without tripping her friend down on the sidewalk, and even though some people Rogue had nearly decapitated tried to stop them, they only gasped as their arms went straight through.

* * *

Once they made it safely into the hotel, Kitty ran to the elevator, ignoring the hotel workers orders to slow down, and punched the number to their floor in. She tapped her foot impatiently. She needs to call the Mansion, to tell Professor Xavier...

Her cell phone! How could she forget? The Professor stressed how important it was to have her phone in case something happened. The elevator stopped and its door opened before Kitty could make a move for it. _Oh well, _she thought, _I'll just use the hotel phone. _

Carefully leading Rogue out of the elevator, Kitty jolted as they turned the bend and accidentally led Rogue into a security guard. Her friend whispered an apology, and the guard looked at her strangely -- most likely because Rogue was still covering her eyes -- but kept on his way.

Kitty continued to lead Rogue to their suite door, but stopped short. On the floor, right in front of their door, was a brown package. Even from where they stood, Kitty could clearly make out the typed block letters that labeled "Rogue".

"Stay here, for a sec, okay?" Kitty asked, and left Rogue there without waiting for a reply.

She wondered what Scott would do. This obviously wasn't normal mail, and it might be dangerous. Anthrax, or something. She considered phasing its contents out of the brown packaging, just to be safe.

"Uh, Kit?" She heard behind her. "Since Ah'm a little eye-impaired right now, mind tellin' meh what's happenin'?"

Kitty didn't answer, but she gave up her caution and ripped the package open. Inside lay a two eyeglasses, each with ruby-quartz lenses.

* * *

"Pa?" Henri LeBeau asked tentatively. "We got some news on de mutant girl, Rogue."

Jean-Luc LeBeau waved his hand to continue, sitting behind his desk. 

"It seems dat de she got a new power, but we ain't never seen her use it before.

"It's similar t' de X-Man Cyclops' optic blast, but we can't know if dat be de exact same one, or one her own powers."

"When did y' see dis?" Jean-Luc asked, his eyebrows rose in interest.

"A couple o' hours ago, on de corner of Dauphine an' Bienville. Emil says dat dey acted like it was dey never seen de power b'fore. He tailed dem till dey returned to deir hotel, de Ritz-Carlton. He captured one of de hotel workers an' posed as one. Den he looked f'r deir suite in de hotel logs, and went up t' it. Didn't see dem, so he t'ought dey were already in deir hotel room. He listen'd at de door an' heard 'em say dat Rogue was goin' t' leave New Orleans t'morrow, and dat de ot'er mutant she was wit', Shadowcat, would be stayin'. He couldn't hear anyt'in' after dat."

"Did dey say when or where dey were leavin'?"

"De girl, Rogue, said dat it should be soon, but dat was it."

"Find when she's goin' t' leave an' at what airport, and make sure she doesn't. We can't afford t' lose her."

"We will."

--

Done! Forgive me if I mutilate accents. I'm a bad, bad person. I'll try my best to get the

A note to all those concerned: The reviewing page is NOT a message board. Unless you have something to say about the fan fiction, do no, I repeat DO NOT, write something otherwise. Especially to another author. That's plain rude.

Two more things:

1.The optic blast was supposed to take place at the hotel. But when I got to thinking about the hole in the wall it would create, the scenario kinda followed like this:

Kitty would dive for the ground, and Rogue's optic blast would demolish the wall behind Kitty. The security guards, hearing the blast, banged on the door and threatened to break it down. Kitty opens the door with Rogue still covering her eyes (obviously closed now), and the guards ask if they can look through the rooms. Kitty hears sirens and panics and then...

I don't know what I should've done. See, I can see Kitty closing and locking the door, but the time it takes for the guards to break the door down, I think Kitty wouldn't even be out of the room (there's a bunch of 'em). So if that all works out, she would then grab Rogue (who's still covering her eyes) and phase down of the house. The guards wouldn't see this, but continue to search the rooms for a bit. The roommates, safely outside, would make a run for it. Then I didn't see how anything would follow after that. It just wouldn't fit.

2. Rogue isn't jealous of Grace and Remy. So get that thought out of your head. And since this was another part that got deleted when the document closed down, I refuse to rewrite why. And can anyone pick up why I chose the name "Grace"?

**Thanks to: **bored247, Chica De Los Ojos Cafe, enchantedlight, Fingers905, Friend to All, GWFreak315, Chained2aMask

Ishandahalf: Kitty shouldn't be a fluff-brained ditz. In the comics (and some of the series) she's a genius, actually. Hacker to boot, too. I figure tat takes some spunk. And Remy wasn't affected by their meeting for two reasons... which would spoil some things if I tell you -- not a lot, though. And you ask so many questions I can't answer without just about handing you the plot!But a hint: This is the Thief's Guild. All standard rules apply. ;) If that helps you any. Me being cryptic and all. And BTW, did you get the reference I made to you? Look hard.

bored247: Ahhhh... I update as soon as I can, but sometimes... things just tend to happen, y'know?

Rogue238: Grace was there for two things (the whole #2 thing strikes again): 1. Ending the chapter. I was going to end it by Remy sitting down next to Rogue and introducing himself, but I decided since it was so long since I updated, I'd cut you guys some slack. And I was on a roll! 2. To show that Remy is the guy that Rogue met before they got serious. In the comics, I mean. A ladies man. And thank you SO MUCH for the criticism (no sarcasm intended).

SickmindedSucker: Cool name, dude. Well, Julien is kind of a pushover. I mean Rogue did take him out in "Cajun Spice", didn't she? Yep. And besides, for an assassin, I think he used a bazooka too much. That says something about his skills on hand-to-hand combat. And in the comics, it was said (by Remy) that he was more of a politician than a fighter. Not to say he wouldn't be good against your average _homo sapiens. _And Rogue's attitude towards the male species is something tat developed from her inability to get close to it. Erm, them

Nettlez: Thank you. I mean it. It's very important to me that the characters seem really real. That's just what X-Men: Evolution conveyed. They weren't just superheroes/mutants who could do no wrong coughSupermancough. They had their doubts, and their flaws. Y'know, teenagers. They even belonged to cliques. ;P

Shira's Song: Well, I've said that line once or twice in my life, so I didn't see the harm in putting it there (I mean the sleep line). How Kitty managed to get her and Rogue to go on vacation was revealed this chapter, thanks to you. I'll explain why he was impressed by her later (if I remember, that it). And, yes. I was very proud of the "Check, Grace" line, so thanks! And how do you enjoy my style of writing

rainbowgirl: Thanks! Rogue isn't supposed to come off without her flaws. She has them, and the writers of X-Men: Evo just love to flaunt 'em (you know, the whole angst-y, gothic teen thing (even thought Rogue isn't a teenager anymore)). But I don't understand what you mean about them getting happy. This fiction isn't about Rogue finding happiness. I mean... look at the summary!

_- E.V.A.N. B._


	4. Ambushed

July 28 - I'm trying my best to pump out the chapters, so don't blame me if I can't.

It's what you've all been waiting for! The kidnap! After this chapter it will no longer be Part One: Captured. It'll be Part Two, which I'm not telling you. Actually, I just don't know, but same diff. since you can't find out anyway. Oh, and if you haven't noticed, from now on all the chapters/parts will be in past tense (specifically -ed) form.

I don't think I have anything else to say, and if I do, it's at the bottom, along with the reviews.

* * *

**Mannequins  
Part One: Captured  
Chapter Four: Ambushed**

_Do not always expect good to happen, but do not let evil take you by surprise._  
_- Czech Proverb_

The terminal wasn't full of people bustling to leave New Orleans, which Rogue was glad for. It wasn't sparse, either, but compared to the night of club hopping she had experienced two days earlier, it was refreshing.

Since the mysterious package which conveniently held two ruby-quartz glasses had shown up on the doorstep of Kitty and Rogue's hotel suite, they had argued on how the rest of the vacation should be planned out.

Rogue's initial reaction had been to head straight home, but Kitty pleaded for her to wait. _"Ya can stay if ya want, Ah ain't stoppin' ya," _Rogue had said. But Kitty seemed to disagree.

"_It'll be no fun without you!" _She had whined. But after a day of debating, Kitty had finally relented, and agreed with Rogue. _"I'll stay," _she said, _"but it's only because I'd feel guilty if the Professor spent all this money for us, and we just went back less than a week and a half ahead of schedule." _

But she had accompanied Rogue to the airport. Her flight didn't leave for a good forty-five minutes, but after the unexpected manifestation of Cyclops' optic blast Rogue had been too afraid to leave the suite for fear of hurting someone, so she was feeling bored and strangely claustrophobic.

Unanimously, they had agreed to not tell the Professor that Rogue would be coming back earlier than expected, because they was afraid of what his and the teams reaction would be, or if they'd come down to pick her up themselves, escorted straight to the Med Lab and Mr. McCoy, and never be allowed to see the light of day again (which was only Rogue's paranoia). She'd tell them once she got there.

The girls had brought some food with them from a little café not unlike the one they visited earlier -- Kitty said that the last time she went to an airport, the food was, like, _totally _awful -- and sat down at a white, plastic picnic bench that fell underneath a spot of shade.

Rogue set down her suitcase and opened it, fishing the Styrofoam containers that held their to-go jambalaya. She handed Kitty her own (which was nearly nix-spice), and set her own in front of her and they ate in silence before a voice interrupted them.

"Smells good." Rogue jolted and turned around.

"You!" As if a nightmare come back to haunt her, the Cajun she had met the last time she went out -- supposedly named Remy -- stood behind her, complete with sunglasses, trench coat, and a cocky grin.

"Y' remember, _chère! _I t'ought y'd f'get 'bout poor ol' me. An' whose dis _petite belle?" _His grin changed into a smirk, and he lifted Kitty's hand and chivalrously kissed it.

"I'm Kitty," she giggled, and turned to Rogue. "Do you, like, know this guy?"

"'Member tha' Cajun tha' made meh leave _Sparked _a couple a' days ago?" She answered, "This is him. Who _apparently _also makes a livin' as a stalker." She glared daggers at him, hoping he'd catch the drift and leave her and Kitty with their jambalaya.

But Rogue's lucky day continued, and he smoothly sat down next to her. "I didn't _make _y' leave, _chèrie, _y' did dat jus' fine on y' own, wit'out so much as a name fo' me t' remember y' by."

"Rogue!" Kitty piped in, looking a little too smug for comfort. "Her name's Rogue."

He turned to the valley girl, sending a dazzling grin her way, before regressing back to his semi-permanent smirk and turning to the other girl. "Rogue, eh? Yo' parents call y' dat?"

She considered telling him that one of her mothers was an insane, blue, shape-shifting mutant terrorist who repeatedly used her, attempted to kill her teammates, and who posed as her best friend one point in her life to get information, but in turn Rogue pushed her off of a cliff. She decided that wasn't for the best, though, and settled for a curt "no".

"No? Well, mine call me Remy LeBeau. Nice t' meet y', _chère._" He held out his hand for Rogue to shake, but ended up retracting it when Rogue just glared at the hand as if it had committed a sin against her person. _Which it probably would, _Rogue thought wryly, _if it had the chance. _

Kitty watched this all with interest and decided to "help" them out. "So, Remy, what brings you here?"

"His daily pick-up-a-stewardess run," Rogue answered bitingly.

"B'lieve she said "Remy", remember?" He turned to Kitty. "'M meetin' a friend from New York. M' cousin, actually."

Kitty's eyes brightened. "Really? Well, Rogue's heading to New York right now!"

"Twist o' fate, den?"

Rogue snorted. "Yeah. As they say, fate's cruel."

"'M gonna have t' disagree, wit' y', _chère. _De only t'ing cruel about dis is dat I might never see yo' sunny face again."

"Trust meh, Ah'm a hulluva lot sunnier without cocky Cajun's botherin' meh day an' night."

"Really? Den mebbe I should hop on yo' plane an' see dat f'r m'self."

She stared incredulously. "Do ya hear _anythin' _Ah say? Anythin' at all? Evah? Here, let meh clarify." She raised her voice, drawing attention from the people milling around, "Go _away!" _

Kitty gasped. "Rogue! That's, like, really mean of you!"

"What are ya gonna do, Kit? Take out the nuns' ruler? I've been tryin' ta get him leave, but he mus' be the mos' irritatin', thick-skulled _boy_ Ah evah met! An' Ah live with Bobby, an' Kurt, an'Jubilee, an' about every othah annoyin' person on planet Earth!"

Remy watched this amusedly, never batting an eye against Rogue's onslaught. "Dat so, _chère? _Well den I won't bother y' no mo', since it's time fo' me t' leave anyway." He lifted Kitty's hand and kissed it. "G'bye, _petite. _Good luck calmin' yo' friend down. It's probably jus' her time a' month again, neh? An' by de way, nice shades." He winked and walked away, his trench coat fluttering behind him, leaving a blushing Kitty and fuming Rogue.

The second Kitty thought he was out of sight, she turned to her friend and demanded, "What is wrong with you! Did you not _see _the way he was flirting with you? Obviously not, because that guy was _really _hot! How could you pass up that opportunity?"

"Opportunity, Kit?" She took off her glove had showed Kitty her pale hand. "With meh, there _is _no opportunity. What? Did ya want meh an' him ta have _passionate _sex before ya help meh bury the body?"

Her friend shifted guiltily. "Well, no, that's not what I... well... it's just... I don't know! Maybe you could have _tried _to be a little nicer! You probably came off as a complete lunatic!"

"Gee, thanks. So what if Ah had been nicer? Flirted back, even? Then what? Ah'm leavin' in," she checked her watch, "thirteen minutes. Not like Ah'd evah see the guy again."

"Exactly! Live a little! You could flirt with him and no one would be the wiser! You could keep up your whole "the Rogue, Ice Queen" thing."

"Yeah, except fo' yo're big mouth. Ya'd blab it all ovah the Institute before ya even get in there."

"Not if you really didn't want me to! Next time you meet a super-hot guy who flirts with you to the point of insanity-- "

"'Cause tha' jus' happens _all _the time."

"Flirt back!"

"Not if they're as annoyin' as he is. Ah swear Ah nevah met a guy tha' stupid an' thick-headed." Kitty looked at her doubtfully. "Well..."

"Duncan." They chorused.

"But, still. Ah can't believe Ah met tha' guy twice! Ah mean Ah _really _think he might be a crazy psychopath stalker or somethin', 'cause what are the chances?"

"Little to none," Kitty said thoughtfully.

"Right. Ah can't believe mah bad luck, sometimes. An' ya think Ah'd expect it eventually, too, with all the stuff tha' happens ta us." Rogue returned to her food, and the smaller girl did likewise. "We aren't exactly lucky, are we? Ah mean, _look." _She gestured to her eyes, which were hidden by ruby-quartz glasses, which she hadn't dared to take off.

"You're kind of showing yourself up there, Rogue. I mean, yeah, the blast wasn't all that lucky, but the _glasses?"_

"Ah sincerely doubt this is luck, Kit." She took a bite of her jambalaya and swallowed, clearing her throat, "Ah've been thinkin' 'bout it, an' Ah can think of only one person who'd have the foresight ta know Ah'd need Cyke's glasses before Ah did, an' get it ta me the same day." She waited for Kitty to answer, but when she only stared blankly and chewed mechanically, Rogue sighed and answered for her, "Destiny, one of mah mothers. She's a precog, so she can see inta the future. She mus' of saw this an' had Mystique or someone send 'em."

The valley girl considered this for a moment. "Huh, musta been hard to, like, break curfew, huh?" she joked.

"Tell meh about it. B'lieve meh, Ah've tried, an' one time, when I was climbin' out mah window, Ah nearly landed on her 'cause she right below! Ah was grounded for a _month_."

"Ooh. Harsh. My parent's weren't that bad, 'cause I was an only child. Must of sucked, having a terrorist for one mom and a psychic for another. Imagine if the _Professor _was your dad. You'd never be able to get away with _anything._"

"The New Recruits get away with a lot a' things, an' they have him an' our Fearless Leader an' Logan an' everyone else on their asses nearly 24/7."

"True, but if you were his daughter, I don't think you'd be allowed out of the room. No doing anything. No life. That one guy? David, his son? If he wasn't crazy and evil and stuff, I'm sure he'd be even more stiff than Scott, with the Prof breathing down his neck," she stopped for a second, "Not to say he's a bad guy. It's just he has all these views of the world and... junk," she finished lamely.

"Yeah, Ah guess. But what about Logan? Ah mean, if he knew we'd be goin' club-hoppin' Ah swear he'd blow up."

Kitty shuddered. "Scary. Don't tell him, 'kay?"

"Sure, but it's hard keepin' a secret 'round tha' place. Remember when Rahne brought tha' li'l puppy in from the streets? Real quiet an' nice, an' she always kept 'im hidden. But Bobby found out and tol' Ray, an' he tol' Roberto, an' he tol' Jubilee, who tol' everyone, 'cept Scott, Jean, an' the adults, but they ended up findin' out when Ororo brought in Rahne's laundry an' the puppy jumped on her."

"What happened to the puppy, anyway?"

"Hit by a car. Ya nevah heard 'bout tha'? The Professor let Rahne keep the dog, but Bobby an' the othah boys brought it out an' he got hit. Rahne was cryin' fo' weeks, an' wouldn't talk to any of the New Recruits 'cept Jubes an' Amara fo' two months."

"Really? I don't remember any of that."

Rogue was about to respond, but was interrupted by the intercom. _"Flight to New York, New York will leave in seven minutes. All passengers please board the plane."_

"Time fo' meh ta go, Kit. Ah'll call ya when Ah get settled down, but tha' might be awhile. Ah'll call _you_, 'kay?"

They stood, and Rogue lifted her suitcase. "Yep. I really wish you'd stay, but I guess it's too late for that, right?" She hugged her friend, being careful of her deadly skin.

Rogue returned the gesture, and smiled, "Yep. But I gotta go, 'cause I need to go to the bathroom really bad. Don't think the jambalaya settled well."

"Ew, not the plane bathrooms! Oh, gross! They can be _really _unsanitary sometimes. You have enough time to go to a terminal bathroom, right? Go there."

"Ah don't think there's enough time, Kit." Rogue said doubtfully.

"You don't have to wait for a bunch of hours 'cause the plane ones a nasty. Just go, and I'll just make sure they don't leave before hand."

"Nah, don't bothah. Jus' go home, an' I'll call you later," Rogue trotted to the bathrooms, calling behind her, "Bye!"

Kitty waved enthusiastically. "Bye!" She turned and left for the hotel, wondering when Rogue would call, and hoping that the blast wasn't anything serious, like when Rogue lost control of the psyches in her mind.

Rogue broke out into a run, dragging the suitcase behind her. She only slowed when she was inside the port and could see the bathrooms. She still hurried, and reached the door with the "WOMEN" marker on it. She pushed it open and stopped, the hairs on the back of her neck tingling.

Turning sharply, she was barreled over by a dark figure. Automatically twisting and attempting to shove the attacker off, Rogue struggled to remove her gloves. "Get offa me!" she cried, but stopped as she felt something covering her mouth, recognizing it automatically as chloroform. She continued resisting weakly, her eyes blurring and losing focus. She tried to see the face of the assailant, but couldn't.

She didn't have to see his face, though, when he spoke to her calmly. "Jus' go t' sleep, _chère, _an' don't worry 'bout anyt'in'. It'll come crystal clear soon enough."

Her last conscious thought was that she was right, Kitty, this guy _is _a crazy stalker.

* * *

So then, that's over. Well it's finally happened! The next chapter will, of course, explain a few things, and (hopefully!) raise even more questions. 

Only one thing I think I want to explain:

Rogue and Kitty are basically best friends. I really loved their relationship in X-Men: Evolution, so I wanted to expand on it. That's Kitty's role here, as Rogue's best friend. It explains Rogue's tolerance with Kitty's perky attitude.

**French Translations**

_petite belle _little beauty

**Thanks to**: enchantedlight, WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc, Chained2aMask, Chica De Los Ojos Cafe, Lucy Wood, Spicy Sweet

**bored247**: Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you right away. You'll have to wait, just like everyone else. Actually... if you really wanted to know, I could probably e-mail you, since it'd be good to run some plot points by someone. And how was it confusing? I agree, I thought I wrote some sentences too drawn-out and complicated, but I really wanted to get that chapter out...

**ishandahalf**: I'm glad you commented about Kitty's unusual giddiness, since I didn't really see the time to address it in the text, but I wanted to tell somebody. Trust me, it's not natural. No outside forces are affecting her, or anything, its just Kitty's gone into overdrive trying to get Rogue out of her shell and have a good time. She's just strangely deluded on how to do that. And, like I said, Rogue is Kitty's best friend and roommate, therefore deals with excessive Kitty-perkiness all the time.

As regards to the Guilds morals, here's another hint: they do have them. Now you have to think on yourself why they'd kidnap someone.

And the reference was extremely, EXTREMELY subtle. I definitely wouldn't pick up on it, had I been you. Even on my best day.

**SickmindedSucker: **Thank you! Especially for congratulating me! I'm really happy about it, and I just swell every time somebody mentions my coming into aunthood. Yeah, I'm sure my sis is happy and all, but hey! I'm gonna be an AUNT! Can't you feel the excitement?

**Carla-p: **Thank you. That was a really great review! And I'm especially happy that you like the meeting. OOC-ness is one of the worst things I see in fan fiction, so I'm happy you see the meeting as coming across as true-to-the-characters. And I'm really happy that you congratulated me too! Hope to see more of ya!

**Pamela: **Wow. Um, thank you! That's really flattering... but are you sure you've never read _anything _this good before? 'Cause I can point you to a thousand different Romy fan fictions that are way better. Or just authors, who've written a bunch of great ones. Eileen Blazer, ishandahalf, Neurotic Temptress, angyxoxo, Ludi, Seven Sunningdale, Shira's Song, SLH... and lots more. Those were just the ones that come to mind when I think "Great Romy's". Check 'em out!

**Rogue238: **I know there were tons of typos! I only saw them after I finished updating... how sad. But thanks for the slack! Makes me feel better. How the glasses got there? Well, that's a mystery, but not a very important one, so unless you _really _want to know, you're gonna hafta wait, just like everyone else. ; ) BTW, did you have a nice vacation? And I made a reference to your fic "777 A Split In Reality". Did you catch?

So, that's all, and a record update! It only took... eight days! So what if it's shorter! If I continue to update like this, it'd be worth it, right? Well, if not, tell me through review! Please?

_- E.V.A.N. B._

_August 2 _


	5. Waking

I'm alive! So I know this took FOR-_EVER _to get out, but spare me. I haven't had access to a computer in a while, and then my hard drive had to be wiped, so I lost this chapter and the ones I was working on.

But, I'm back in the loop! Yay! I know, it took awhile. But, I reread a buncha reviews, and I just couldn't keep from ya guys any more.

Well, anyway, Merry Christmas! Think of this as an X-Mas present.

Also, there's some strong language in the chapter, so if you have problems with that, I can't help you. It says "T", anyhow.

And one other note having nothing to do with the story: Should I (again) change my pen name to simply "Rossignol"? It's easier to remember, and to write. I dunno...

So then, as long as I don't have anything better to say, go on and enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Mannequins  
Part Two: Watching  
Chapter Five: Waking**

_If we are bound to forgive an enemy, we are not bound to trust him._

_- Thomas Fuller_

Rogue glared at the men across from her. Not that she was intimidating, chained down and all, but she still tried to at least _convey_ her hate to them. She especially focused her hate-glare on the man in the center. The man who drugged, ambushed, and kidnapped her. And was _smirking_.

The father, -- as he introduced himself, Jean-Luc -- spoke up. "Sure y' can't be a _little _more agreeable? After all, y' gonna be here f'r awhile. Mine as well get along." Rogue just answered in a short Wolverine-esque growl and he sighed. "Den I'll leave y' wit' y' new roommate. I t'ink y've met. Son," -- the bastard walked into the limelight -- "keep good care o' her. We're gon' need her later. _Bonsoir, mad'moiselle."_

"Fuck. You." She ground out.

"She speaks!" The other man, Henri, laughed, goading Rogue's ears. "Remy, m' dear _petit frere, _y' gonna have y'self a handful. Hope y can keep y'self alive 'till we come back."

Completely ignoring her presence, the bastard answered back, "Don' worry. De day hell freezes over is de day I can't handle some lil' _fille_. See y' soon, Henri."

His brother clapped him on the shoulder and responded, with _another_ infuriating smirk, "Best a' luck t' y', heh, I t'ink y' might need it," and left.

As the door shut like an anvil dropping on Rogue's freedom, _he _turned to her. "So, _chérie... _nice weat'er we're havin', he said -- as if there were any windows to tell by.

She remained silent.

Whatever mute hint Rogue was trying to drop, he didn't pick up, and continued, "So y' got a real name I can call y' by? 'Rogue' ain't too pretty f'r a girl like y'."

Silence.

"Well, if y' won't gimme a betta' name, 'm gonna have t' t'ink of one f'r y'." He waited, as if expecting her to give him a name, or reject the idea. A few more moments of blissful silence, he spoke up again, "Lessee... Mary? Nah, too simple f'r y'. Wait, y' a lil' river rat, right? Y' name's gotta be good ol' French den. Angelique?" He paused for a moment, cocking his head slightly to consider her, and then barked a laugh. "Right. Adrienne? _Non, _not de type. Mebbe y're a... Emmeline. _Emmeline_." Another pause. "_Non_, not dat. How 'bout Sidonie? Mireille? Coralie? Marie? Avice? Charlotte? Estelle? Monique? Karla?_ Chère, _y' stop me if I get it."

Silence.

"Fine, y' wanna be like dat, huh? Well, y' know what, _chère?_ I c'n play dat game too. Watch." He turned her back from her, leaning his side against the headboard of what -- Rogue hated to call it -- his bed.

A blissful drought of speaking followed for nearly a half-hour, until he sighed and turned back to her. "Well, if I have t' call y' Rogue, y' gonna have t' call me Gambit. Only fair, _chérie." _Did this guy crave attention or something? He wasn't going to get any from her.

Silence.

"Y' know, y' not helpin' y'self none by bein' so difficult. Y' have t' -- " He stopped, then snorted. "Y' have t' be _de _most stubborn girl I've ever met, dat's what y' are."

Continued silence, but she did turn very slightly to glare at him for an instant. He took it as an invitation for more talking.

"Y' know, I t'ink y' might be more irritated by m' talkin', den m' ignorin' y'." He seemed pleased by the idea, but Rogue only felt like screaming, "No, ya think!"

But she maintained silence.

Thankfully -- although Rogue couldn't believe that herself -- the brother and father came back, this time with a hoard of other men.

"_Bonsoir, _yet again, _chère, _y' miss us?" asked the father, Jean-Luc. It was obvious where Gambit picked up his "charm" from.

Rogue stared at the group, and blurted out, "Are ya guys some kinda cult?" Smooth.

Jean-Luc's response was instant. "No, _chère, _we ain't no cult. We-" He paused. "Well, we're a lil' bit of a cult. But in de good way."

"The kidnappin'-innocent-girls-ta-hold-'em-hostage kinda 'good way'?"

He opened his mouth and closed it. The question seemed to have him stuck, and Rogue reveled it. He didn't strike her as the type to be baffled about anything. At least she had one point over them. "Don' y' have a better question?" he finally asked sarcastically.

"Sure do. Why the _hell_ hijack me?"

"Hijack, _chère?" _Gambit questioned."I didn't _hijack _y'. I _stole_ y'," he clarified, with a hint of pride.

"Ooh, that makes it much better. Jus' answer the damn question, Cajun." She heard a muffled snort. Funny, was she?

"Y're not a very reasonable person, are y' -- "

She interrupted him angrily, "Ya call me '_chère' _one more tahme, Ah'm gonna -- "

Another snort from somewhere near the father, and Gambit interrupted her again, "What, _mignonne_? Kill me? Don' y' t'ink y're a lil' _tied down _f'r dat?"He eyed her bonds and she cursed them mentally.

When Rogue woke from her drug-induced sleep, her original foggy reaction was, _Ah can't move. _For a moment, she panicked and believed herself somehow paralyzed, but then someone laughed. The mist cleared from her head to find her shackled down to an actually comfortable bed. Rogue feared the worst. Then her next reaction was even more chaotic and stupid as she realized: _Where's mah glasses! _She squeezed her eyes shut and curled herself into a ball.

Someone laughed again, and Rogue opened her eyes to look at them, hoping maybe she would manifest the blasts. Three men were there, only one of which she recognized (_still_ wearing the trench coat, shades, and smirk). "Y' don' have to t' worry. Y' won't be blastin' anyt'ing any time soon."

It was then Rogue realized an unnatural weight was on her neck. It was colder than her skin, and whirred softly. Her knee-jerk reaction made her clutch at it, and the same one who spoke, laughed, "Dat's it alright. I wouldn't worry _too _much about it, _chère. _B'sides, I heard y' never liked y're powers much anyway."

So now she was here, in a room full of cultist men, probably as some sacrifice. Her world was always looking up.

The continued to smirk and laugh, much to her chagrin, until finally Jean-Luc raised a hand to stop them. "Now, now, I t'ink we've been rude t' our guest here." He paused. "We haven't even introduced ourselves!" He bowed mockingly to Rogue. "Allow me t' intr'duce dese fine examples of men. Dey are de High Council of T'ieves. A sort of advisory board t' m' King of T'ieves."

"Thieves?" Rogue spat. "y'all have a cult based on _thiev'ry? _An' heah Ah go an' think that just maybe y'all were _respectable_ sadists."

"We tol' y'. We ain't a cult," Jean-Luc reprimanded. Rogue thought she picked up a trace of annoyance.

She knew it was probably unwise, but she couldn't help but goad him further. "Oh, excuse me, Yo're Majesty," she toned sarcastically.

Gambit frowned. "_Chère-- " _

"Y're his son, right? So, what, yo're name's 'Highness'?" Rogue bit angrily.

He seemed ready to snap back, but one of the Council held up a warning hand, almost imperceptibly. Gambit breathed, then smirked. "Yeah, c_hère, _I'm 'Highness', alrigh'. Prince Gambit is what dey call me. But y' can 'ave de explicit pleasure of callin' me plain ol' Gambit. Don't y' feel special, c_hère?_"

Rogue bristled. "Jus' tell me why Ah'm heah!" she finally screamed.

Instantly, the perpetual slick smile on both Jean-Luc's and Gambit's faces vanished. The Council tensed. They knew dodging the subject was no long an option. But they tried anyway.

"Y'know, girl, y're life balances on our good will. Care t' remember that?" asked a stumpy, sallow man with a tone of menace that didn't fit his sunken face.

"No, Ah don't. Ya won't kill me," she said matter-of-factly.

"An' how d'ya come t' figure dat? Wit' y're Magic 8 Ball?" another man said, his rat-like voice condescending.

"B'cause ya haven't already. B'cause ya knew about mah powers. An' if ya knew about mah powers, ya know about what family Ah b'long ta. An' Ah know mah family pisses off a lot a' people. Ah can't imagine what thieves would want with me. But Ah can imagine there are some things that othah people want with the X-Men. Ah don't b'lieve Ah was kidnapped as a virgin sacrifice or somethin'. Ah think y'all were hired." Once Rogue finished her findings, she watched the thief's carefully.

To an unobservant or untrained eye, it appeared as if they either didn't care if she had guessed the truth, or she was flat-out wrong. But Rogue was observant, and she was trained. She saw their lips tighten, and their eyes crinkled with anger. Only Jean-Luc and Henri kept a firmly disinterested look.

The 'King of Thieves' smiled easily. "Well, c_hère_, as y' seem t' have ev'ryt'in' figured out, we'll leave y' t' ponder furt'er y're t'oughts. _Bon nuit, _chil'. Sleep well." He saluted her as he left, the Council and the older son not far behind.

Which left her and Gambit. Even before that damned door shut, she steeled herself for the voice she had come to associate with nightmares.

But he was silent.

She turned to appraise him, and met his eyes. She gasped. "Yo're eyes... "

Every time she had seen Gambit, the first time in _Sparked, _at the airport, and when she woke, he had always worn sunglasses. Now she knew why.

_Mutant,_ screamed his flickering red eyes, surrounded by absolute black. Instinctively, Rogue reached up, not paying attention to the clinking of the cuffs, touching the snowy strands that framed her face, symbol of her mutant heritage.

"Go 'head, _chérie, _be scared." He laughed bitterly. "Ev'ryone else is," Gambit whispered.

Rogue shook out of her shock. "Ah ain't scared," she snapped. "Jus' surprised. Mah brother's scarier than ya, an' he's the nicest guy y'll evah meet."

He opened his mouth, maybe to argue, maybe to ask about her brother, but she never found out. "T'anks," he gave a small, real smile, and turned off the lights.

* * *

Short, I know, but I wanted to get this out before you all completely forgot about me.

So, moot point of this chapter was to reveal just a teensy, tiny amount of things.

Now, before anyone goes chopping off my head about Gambit's OOC-ness, listen to this: my Remy is juvenile for a reason. Unlike comic book Remy, my Evo-Remy has seen much less in his days. That means no Sabretooth, no Sinister, and no Belladonna. His family hasn't betrayed him, he hasn't had a run-in with Magneto, and he's only nineteen. He's also a little spoiled. So don't yell at me because he acts a little like a baby. Also, he's very unaccustomed to people ignoring him. Especially women. So he feels a little dejected. Poor Remy.

Well, that's it, other than read and review! Oh, and check out my new fic, "The Garden". Because you all love me.

E.V.A.N.


	6. Missing

See? I'm not completely incompetent! I'm updating! Actually, I would've had this out a few days ago, but it wouldn't load for some reason.

Alright, this is kind of advertising, and I said I wouldn't (to myself), but I think everyone needs to know:

**ATTENTION: Go to this petition: www . petitionspot . com / petitions / romycajun and sign, now! Save the Cajun and Romy! **

And the most important news of today (perhaps ever): **I'M AN AUNT! **That's right, folks, finally, as of the 16th... well, here, from my diary:

As of 7:15 today, _I _am an Aunt! I am the loving auntie of a bouncing baby boy, Gavin, who is 7 lbs. 07 oz. and has a round head with a 14" circumference. He is 20" long, good size for a baby, and was born with green eyes, which within a few hours changed to blue-green eyes (added 2/21: but have steadily turned more green). He has dark hair, and his mothers cleft chin and mouth, and his fathers upturned nose. His mother was in labor for about 35 hours. He is an A+ (positive) blood-type. They tried to take baby's blood three times but it kept clotting. Birthmark on his little right leg. Long fingers of a newborn, and fairly large feet. Also, he's the most beautiful baby ever.

I don't think I'll hold you up any longer, I'll just get right to it.

* * *

**  
**

** Mannequins**  
** Part Two: Watching**  
** Chapter Six: Missing**

_If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.  
- Moshe Dayan_

Three days. Actually, three and a half days. Rogue was definitely back at the X-Mansion. No question. So why hadn't she called?

Kitty flickered her eyes to the phone nervously. She didn't need to call. Rogue was fine. She was safe. She was just being bombarded with tests by Mr. McCoy, like she said would happen. She was just resting. The plane made it safely to port at New York. It didn't crash and burn. It wasn't hijacked. Rogue was fine. She was safe.

Kitty picked up the phone and dialed the number. Screw long-distance bills. It wasn't like the Professor wasn't über rich anyway.

Only a few rings and someone picked up the phone. _"Hello, you've reached Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. How may I help you?"_ Good. The Boy Scout Scott wouldn't prank her.

"Hi, Scott?" she asked nervously.

"_Kitty?"_ asked the X-Men leader, surprised. _"Is something wrong?" _

"No, nothing. It's just Rogue said she'd call me when she got there, and I haven't heard from her, and I was just worrying... Is she okay?"

"_Rogue? What are you talking about? Isn't she with you?"_ Scott inquired, surprised.

Kitty dropped the phone. She burned up! She was kidnapped, murdered! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God-- "_Kitty? Kitty, isn't Rogue with you? Kitty!" _She scrambled for the phone. "Scott! Oh God, no she isn't! She went back-- the voices!-- the blast!-- I didn't want her to!-- Oh my God, oh my God! Something's happened!"

"_Shadowcat!" _Cyclops barked, voice of a leader. _"Calm down! Now, _what _happened_?"

The years she spent with the X-Men has trained her for that voice. That voice was battle-ready voice. Kitty calmed instantly, her terror and guilt was only a tingle in her gut. It seemed silly now. "Is the Professor there? I swore I wouldn't say anything to-- "

"_Shadowcat, this is important. If Rogue's missing, then we can't risk anything. What happened?"_

"Alright," Kitty swallowed, hoping Rogue wouldn't be too mad. "We were walking back to the hotel and suddenly Rogue gets _your_ optic blast. I mean, totally unexpected. Not like the time when she lost control of the voices, and-- well, you know. Anyway, no one was injured, but I had to rush her back to the hotel. And then we got back to our room, there was -- get this -- a package with two of _your_ glasses. Ruby-quartz.

"Well, Rogue was really scared -- don't tell her I told you, though. She said that she _had_ to get back home to the Mansion, and she didn't want me to say anything to you, because -- um, I can't tell you. But she didn't want me to say anything, and when go to the airport, and she gets on. I mean, I thought that she'd get back fine, but she never called, and now she might be-- "

Cyclops interrupted her before she could start hysterics again. _"Alright. Shadowcat, I'm sorry, but there's not much we can do right now. The Blackbird is down in Japan, for some peace talks. Only a few of us are still here. I'll call them, and we'll form a plan."_

"Alright. Thanks, Scott." She almost hung the phone up, but he interrupted her.

"_Oh, and Kitty?" _he asked. _"Don't leave your hotel room, and stay on guard. Somebody might be after the X-Men. Wait till we get there, okay?"_ Kitty didn't answer. She didn't like being helpless, and what he said sounded exactly like what Rogue said before she--

Cyclops listened for Kitty's answer, but she was silent. "Kitty?" he repeated. "Okay?"

After a moment, she answered. _"Yeah, Scott. I'll stay. But get here soon. Bye."_

"We will. Good-bye Kitty. Stay safe," he hung up, a slight smile tracing his strong face. Beneath Scott's ruby-quartz glasses, his eyes flickered yellow.

* * *

Rogue rubbed her wrists ruefully. After four days, her captors finally released her bonds, under the warning that she caused any trouble, she'd be locked up in a cell, a real one.

Not once in the past four days had she been let alone by Gambit. The only place he didn't follow her -- thankfully -- was the bathroom. The first time she was in it, Rogue checked for hidden cameras thoroughly, using the skills taught by Mystique and Wolverine. The bathroom was large and windowless, but there were few places to hide a camera that would give a full view of the room. She went as far even to break the mirror with a plunger, -- which didn't have a camera behind it -- at which Gambit banged in and tackled her. In a sign of -- perhaps -- trust that surprised her, the mirror was replaced while she slept the next day. She thought suspiciously it had more to do with Gambit's vanity than faith.

After concluding that there were no cameras in the bathroom, Rogue tried fruitlessly to remove the metal collar.

From what she had seen in the mirror, and what she felt, it was seamless and hingeless, as if it was never snapped on her neck. It was constantly cooler than her skin, never absorbing her body heat. It whirred and clicked, so it had to be mechanical. It was lighter than Rogue would have judged if she wasn't wearing it. The icing on the cake? It just _wouldn't come off. _

Rogue never gave up trying to unlock it, but she spent less time doing so -- mostly because she had a time limit going to the bathroom, and she wasn't going to waste it all trying to remove the collar.

On the evening (or so the clock said) of the third day, Rogue spoke to Gambit. It was momentous, in her book, considering last time she talked to him he had barreled her over in the bathroom.

All she said was "Ah want these damned things off," and shook her cuffs.

And all he answered was, "But dey look so good on y', _chère._"

She got her wish -- but she suspected that it had less to do with their graciousness, and more as a message: _You can't get out. Your hands might be free, but you'll never be. _Whether it was meant as an insult, threat, or both, she didn't know. But that didn't concern her; her hands were unbound and that would be a good thing. Except that she was prisoner with a guard who was to hormonal for his own good and who also shared a room with her.

Rogue tried not to think of that, although with his slight snoring, it was almost impossible. Instead, she diverted her days to plotting escape routes, and reviewing what she knew of her kidnapping.

Escape seemed fairly hopeless, even with her new, unbound hands. The windowless, but elegant, room wasn't monitored, save for her thieving, slick guard. The door, Rogue discovered, remained unlocked during Gambit's waking hours. But even if Rogue did manage to escape Gambit, where would she go? She didn't know anything about the place she was in, except for her personal little dungeon. Her powers would have helped her escape, but the stand-in choker necklace prevented _that _possibility. And she didn't even know where she was besides that. The best Rogue assumed was Louisiana, considering the Thieves she had met were all Cajun. When she discovered that coming up with escape plans only made her more hopeless, she amused herself by studying Gambit and coming up with scenarios in which she beat him bloody and bruised.

Although Gambit was her only guard, he really paid very little attention to her; except trying to get her to talk through insults, cajoling, or innuendos. He spent _his _time playing solitaire or reading (her captors seemed to think it best she had no connections to the outside world, so television or radio was out of the question). The only time he _wasn't _sitting or pacing dutifully in the Dungeon (Rogue refused to think of it as _her_ or _his _or_ their _room, so instead settled for the Dungeon), was when he was in the bathroom or when Jean-Luc called for a report on her doings. Henri took over for him then.

Gambit's character was easy to judge. He was conceited, juvenile, spoiled, and cocky. Rogue didn't see any good qualities in him; it may have been that he had just not shown her any, or that he didn't have any. Rogue decided resolutely that it was the latter. Gambit also didn't like being rejected, she noticed. Any silent rebuffs on her part were met with a half-hour long sulk before he started another game of solitaire. Sometimes Gambit was infinitely patient; other times, he was not. His moods swung rapidly, at which the likes of Kitty would be put to shame.

Kitty...

Rogue had no clue what the others were doing. By now, at least _Kitty_ knew something was up. By now, the entire Mansion knew Rogue was missing. By now, some angry mutants should be storming through the elaborate oak door and -- she shunted from this thought -- _rescue_ her. There was no way some back-water swamp rat thieves could stand against the new, expanded X-Men. What could they do? Steal their underwear?

Rogue glanced back at her captor, or, more accurately, his eyes. It was obvious now he was a mutant. She couldn't guess his powers, and wasn't about to ask.

"Like what y' see, _chère_?" Gambit asked suddenly, pleasure obvious in his voice.

Oh, damn. She'd been caught staring. But never say that Mystique didn't teach her the art of quick comebacks in the face of the menfolk. "If Ah say yes, will ya put a paper bag ovah ya head? No holes." _If Ah say no, _she thought wryly, _will ya go ahead an sulk an hour?_

Gambit didn't respond, -- apparently Jean-Luc hadn't taught him quick comebacks in the face of womenfolk -- just frowned and went back to his half-finished game of solitaire.

_A' course ya will_. Rogue settled down against the headboard of her -- no, _the _bed, and closed her eyes, hoping his sulk would last at least an hour.

"Y' know, _chérie, _I'm sick a' playin' solitaire. How 'bout Hearts?" She opened her eyes and glared at him. He was unperturbed.

It was against her better judgment, but... "Ya need three fer that, moron."

He grinned, too pleased that Rogue had responded to one of his advances -- not quite the response he had in mind, but it was better than continual silence. "Den we play _Old Maid,_ how's dat?"

She turned away, and Gambit nearly sighed. She was probably the toughest girl he'd ever... well, flirted with was the farthest he'd gotten with her, and that was one-sided. It was as if she didn't even _want _him. He had almost thought that she maybe didn'tbut brushed that notion off. There was no _femme _in the world that didn't want Remy LeBeau, once they'd seen him. She was just playing too-hard-to-get. In fact, if he hadn't kidnapped her, then she would've succumbed to his charms _long_ before this.

_How do Ah escape... ? _Once again, Rogue's mind returned to the question that had plagued her for too long. She knew what she couldn't do, and what she could. But she hadn't thought of one thing: espionage. She glanced over at Remy, who was still picking at his cards. Would it work?

Only one way to find out."Yeah, sure. Ah'll play," Gambit's head shot up and his mouth dropped open, watching her wide-eyed as she stalked over reluctantly to the mahogany table he played at.

"Y'..." he stopped, seemingly still in stupor. Was is _that _much of surprise? Probably, Rogue concluded.

"Y' will?" Gambit finally said. His surprise turned to suspicion. "Is dis a trap?"

Rogue stopped and snapped her fingers. "Aw, dang, ya found me out," she drawled sardonically. _Aw, dang, he found me out, _she said to herself honestly.

He snorted and turned back to his cards. "Old Maid, huh?" Gambit asked after a moment, still wary.

"Nah, we're playin' poker. Winner releases loser inta the wild." She sat down on a chair across from him. Had she even _been _on this side of the room?

"Y' know, I'd actu'lly take y' up on dat offer, but _mon père_ would blow a lid. So instead," Gambit said definitively, "we'll bet clothes."

Rogue rose a sculpted eyebrow and made to stand. Before she was halfway off the chair before he grasped her wrist. "No strip poker, I get it. Den we don't bet, huh?"

Rogue sat back down slowly. "Well," she said after a long pause, "ya settin' up 'r not?"

Gambit grinned and started shuffling an entirely new deck.

* * *

"Robert Drake, you come back here, _right now!" _Lorna Dane cried after her boyfriend.

"Only if you can catch me!" Bobby crowed.

Scott sighed, and wished he could rub the bridge of his nose. "No running in the halls!" he shouted after the new couple. But they were already gone. Deciding they weren't priority, he instead turned to Logan, who had just left the X-Jet from their mission. "Wolverine!" he called. Logan glanced at the leader, and Scott came over to him. "I need those mission specs from Lothland City. Actually, Logan," he added, "I needed them two weeks ago."

"I've got better things to do, kid," the taller/shorter man grunted.

Cyclops sucked a breath to lecture Wolverine -- however futile -- but he was interrupted.

"Phone for you, Cyclops!" Iceman called from a little distance, waving the cordless around. Scott thought he could hear Lorna's shrill voice somewhere in the X-Mansion.

The X-Men leader rubbed circles into his temples. "Who is it?" he sighed.

"Kitty. She sounds kind of hysterical. She kept going,"--Bobby tuned his voice higher--"'It's been a day, it's been a day!' I think she jumped off the deep end."

"_I can hear you, Robert!" _Kitty cried from the phone.

Cyclops took the phone from Iceman before he could retort. He brought the phone to his ear. "Yes, hello, Kitty?"

_What have you been doing! Haven't you done anything yet! Every second could mean her _life, _Scott, and if you've been sitting around-- " _The valley girl's piercing voice came for the other line. Bobby was right -- Kitty sounded hysterical.

Scott tried to talk over his teammates voice. "Kitty, Kitty! Slow down! What are you talking about?"

From the other end, Kitty froze. "Scott?" she breathed, shaken.

"_Yes?"_

_Please say yes, please say yes... _"Were-- were you here yesterday?"

"_No... " _Scott answered, confused and wary.

Kitty slid off the edge of the hotel bed, and on the floor.

"_Kitty?" _No answer. _"Kitty, what are you doing? Shadowcat, answer me!"_

If Scott wasn't who answered the phone, wasn't who assured her they'd rescue Rogue, then there was only one other person who could've answered. One shape-shifting, devious, and evil mutant. But what could Mystique gain from posing as Scott?

Kitty wouldn't let hysteria overwhelm her. She owed Rogue that. Shadowcat took a deep breath. "Scott?"

She could hear his sigh of relief from the other end. _"Yes, Kitty?"_

"Rogue's missing. Don't panic, but it's been for several days... "

Calmly, evenly, Shadowcat retold the past few days once more.

* * *

_Phew! _Done there!

Couple (several) things:

1. Let's see... two references there: one to comics, one to movies.

2. I wanted to see how many times I could get away using "hysteria" and its tenses.

3. Yay! Kinda-character development!

4. Gambit being a baby! Yay! I mean-- boo!

So... I think that's it, except for... shoot, I can't think of anything more to say. Wow. That's a new one, ain't it?

- E.V.A.N.

_February 22, 2006_


End file.
